Secretively Selfish
by Danni1989
Summary: What would have happened if Damon and Elena started having an affair right after Denver? How would all their friends and family react when they found out? Especially an still as of yet somewhat unhinged Stefan.
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a short mini fic that I wrote a while back and decided I may as well publish it. It's only a few chapters long and I really hope you enjoy it. I'll try to post a chapter a day since it's completely written.**

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"You know, at some point we're really going to have to stop this." I said as I sat up and snapped my bra around my back. It was almost a month after our fruitless trip to Denver, and ever since the ice machine I'd been fooling around with Damon. I said we should stop every single time, but every single time I broke my word and fell back into bed with him. Technically there was nothing wrong with what we were doing, Stefan and I were kaput because of his ripper status. He was slowly becoming himself again but finding out about me and Damon could be detrimental to his progress.

"For how long this time?" Damon asked idly from his spot in his bed. He wasn't concerned about me stopping this ever since Denver when I gave into my feelings for him in spectacular fashion. Jeremy was gone just long enough for me to get some kick ass sex out of him. It wasn't supposed to happen but at the same time I didn't regret it. I didn't regret this either, aside from the fact that it was completely secret. Not a single person in our lives knew about us. We met when we knew everyone else wasn't around, either here or at my house. We slept together, then we went our separate ways, only communicating like we did before the sex.

"Doesn't it feel just a little bit wrong to be sneaking around behind everyone we knows back?" I asked him even though I knew what his answer would be. Mine was normally the same, except when I had these moments of uncertainty. Every other moment except for that time after we finished making love, I was totally cool with being fuck buddies with Damon.

"No, it's not any of their business what we do in our rather limited spare time. If we choose to spend it in rather naughty situations together, then that's our prerogative. You're single, I'm single. There is nothing wrong with what we're doing." He told me sitting up and sliding closer to my side of his bed. I was sitting on the edge, still only wearing my bra and panties. I hadn't gotten around to putting the rest of my clothes on yet. I always hated getting dressed after our time together. It meant that our all too brief moment of peace was over and it was time to go back to our regularly scheduled drama. All I wanted was a whole weekend or even a whole day just with him so he could make me feel the things that he made me feel in those single solitary hours we managed to find with each other. I was dependent on him to make me feel like a normal teenage girl, even though normal teenagers didn't sleep with vampires. I needed Damon to keep my sanity in check, that's why I could never end what we're doing. I'm in too deep.

"I know you're right. I was just wallowing in all the secrets." I told him smiling at him over my shoulder.

"We could stop keeping it a secret." He mentioned idly. I knew he was into this for more than just the sex, but for my part I didn't know what I felt. It was better for me right now to just pretend that it was just sex.

"No we can't. No one would understand what we're doing. I like our little bubble. Besides Stefan is far too unhinged to know about this." I replied with a sigh. I reached down to the floor and grabbed my top. I had to get going or at least get dressed and be downstairs with Damon in the next few minutes. Stefan could be home at any time and getting caught would quite literally be the worst thing in the world. It was a small miracle that we hadn't been caught yet.

"I like our bubble too. Besides it does make it all sorts of sexy having no one know about us. It's our selfish little secret." He decided and I knew we were back on the same page. It was always like this afterwards. Damon always wanted to go public because he loves me and I love that he loves me. It makes me feel cherished, like no matter what he'll put nothing above me. I hate thinking like that, but when you've lived the life that I have, it feels good to be number one. But then after thinking about it for a while he always goes back to the Damon that I know and care about, the one who is more than willing to just be friends with benefits with me.

Once I was dressed, Damon put his jeans back on and followed me out of his room. It wasn't uncommon for him to only be partially clothed in my presence, no one would think any different.

"I hear Stefan's car." Damon told me as I sat down on the couch. It wouldn't shock Stefan to see me here, I've been here more often lately than I've been at home. It's not just about the sex, it's about the fact that I feel safe when I'm with Damon. A few seconds later he was striding through the door, he offered me a smile when he came in.

"Elena, it's great to see you." Stefan said. He'd been trying really hard to be stable around me. He was trying to prove that he was still the guy that I fell in love with. It's been hard to tell him that ship has sailed. I don't want to send him off the deep end again. He's still unpredictable, but at least he's not the guy who threatened to drive me off of Wickery Bridge. The night Damon saved me from Wickery Bridge was the first time after Denver that I slept with him. It was the beginning of what had started between us. I never thought that Wickery Bridge would be a catalyst for a good change in my life.

"It's good to see you too." I said politely.

"What are you doing here? Are you waiting for me?" He asked inserting some hope into his tone.

"I'm just here with Damon. There's so much going on out there, it's only with him that I feel safe right now." I admitted honestly.

"I can protect you too, Elena. I did for a long time. Don't you remember when it was Damon you needed protection from?" He demanded.

"I also remember that now it's you I've needed protection from. You can't judge your brother especially not now when he's turned his life around." I defended Damon. I found myself doing that a lot lately. Damon and I had become somewhat of a package deal. Not only were we intimate, but we were the best of friends. We were partners to the extent that we depend on each other for pretty much everything.

"People don't really change Elena. You of all people should know that." Stefan said bored.

"Maybe they do. But I really have to head out. My brother is at home and I hate leaving him alone all the time." I told him standing up.

"I'll come with you." Damon offered standing up too. There were too many big bads out there to let me go alone. It was never really clear when one of them was going to spring from the shadows.

"Maybe just drop me off at home this time. If you keep coming home with me someone is bound to get suspicious." I said when we were in his car on our way back to my place.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"I'm sure. I don't want anyone to find out. It's kind of nice having this secret selfish bubble to escape to." I told him squeezing his hand.

"Yeah, and you probably should spend some time with Jeremy too. I can't have you all to myself, despite how awesome that would be." He said with a sigh.

"I have an idea." I started with a grin on my face. I was getting attached, it was easier to admit that when he wasn't asking me to go public with him. For all intents and purposes we were dating, we were just doing it secretly.

"Good idea or bad idea?" He asked carefully. I could totally understand why Damon would be cautious when it came to me having an idea. There weren't too many times he agreed with any plan I made, I knew this one would be different.

"I was thinking that you're right. We're more than just fuck buddies, no matter how much I want to convince myself of that after we're done. I can't pretend but that doesn't mean that we can go public yet. We will eventually, just not right now. Anyway, I was thinking if we could come up with convincing enough lies maybe we should get away for a couple nights. Maybe Friday night and Saturday night, come home Sunday." I suggested.

"I really like the sound of that. Where would we go? "He asked.

"How about my family's lake house?" I suggested and he shrugged.

"Sounds good to me, what kind of lie do I need to come up with?" He asked when he turned onto my street.

"Some reason you have to head out of town for the weekend. I'm just going to tell my friends that I need to get away so I'm going to the lake house alone." I told him.

"What about when they ask who's protecting you?" Damon asked me and I nodded because I had thought about that.

"I'll tell them that the only vampires who had ever entered that house were you, Stefan and Caroline and none of you would hurt me. I'll also tell Care not to tell Stefan where I went. She'll tell him to give me some time." I explained and he nodded.

"You have this all thought out. I'm impressed." Damon said satisfied.

"You should be. A lot of thought went into planning that." I teased.

"We're taking separate vehicles I'm assuming?" He asked and I nodded.

"Both of our cars have to be gone to get away with this. When you get there, park your car somewhere no one will find it." I told him.

"I can do that." He agreed when he parked on the curb.

"Thanks for the ride." I said before getting out and heading into the house. I didn't look back or watch him leave, the illusion was still very important.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the response for the last chapter. I'm glad you guys liked it. There is only four chapters in this story, so it's short and sweet. I hope you guys like the second installment. And as always let me know what you think.

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"Was that Damon who dropped you off again?" Jeremy asked when I walked through the door.

"Yeah, he's still worried about Stefan going over the edge again." I shrugged.

"Are you sure that's all that it is? Remember I saw you two kiss at the motel." He stated and I shook my head.

"That was a onetime thing. Maybe the timing will be right for us someday, but right now both of our focus is on getting Stefan back to normal." I shrugged.

"But you're admitting that you feel something for him? That there is something between the two of you. Because if you're not then we both know you're lying to me and yourself." He said and I laughed.

"It's not hard to see that there is something between us. It's just the timing is completely wrong so we can't go there. But that being said I actually came home to talk to you about something." I said and he sat down and looked at me.

"Okay… is this in any way connected to the previous discussion?" He asked and I laughed and shook my head.

"No, the only thing this conversation had to do with Damon is that I actually had to ask his permission. I'm going to the lake house for a couple days this weekend just to get away. It's the safest place for me considering very few vampires can get inside. I just need to be alone, I've been through so much lately." I told him.

"I understand. Why did you have to ask Damon?" He asked and I laughed.

"We both know he would completely panic if he didn't know where I was. It's in his nature. It's just easier to ask him than it is to deal with his panic attacks." I told Jeremy with a shrug.

"Makes sense. Why don't you take Caroline or Bonnie with you?" He asked and I shrugged again. I found myself doing that a lot lately.

"I just really want to be alone when I go there. I haven't had a chance to even listen to myself think lately. I just need a chance to just be Elena." I told him.

"Now that makes sense. I completely understand." He said to me and I smiled.

When Friday finally came I packed up my car with the few essentials that I would need for the Lake House. A couple days of meals, plus different clothes for different kinds of weather. The weather was always unpredictable when you went out to the lake.

"Alright, have fun and be careful." Jeremy said as he stood beside Alaric on the porch.

"I will. I'll be back Sunday afternoon." I promised.

"Just be careful. Don't invite anyone in." Alaric insisted and I smiled and opened my car door to get in.

"I'll be safe." I promised.

"I just don't like that Damon is going to Richmond for the weekend. It would make me feel much better if he was there with you or at least watching out for you." Alaric said.

"I'll be fine. Damon thinks he found some sort of cure for being a ripper. A witch or something? I'm not sure but he had to go this weekend in order to find it." I told them the predetermined story Damon and I had come up with.

"Yeah he told me last night when we met for some drinks." He said and I nodded.

"Alright I better go." I told them as I got into my car. They went inside when I drove away and I smiled to myself, happy to finally be on my way.

At the lake house I didn't see Damon's car anywhere but the lights were on inside.

"Hello." I called and Damon stepped out of the kitchen with a towel over his shoulder.

"You're late." He said and I laughed.

"Jeremy and Alaric were telling me how much they wish you were nearby in case anything happens." I told him reaching up to kiss his lips quickly.

"Good to know that they like me on babysitting duty. If they only knew how much I enjoyed myself on babysitting duty." He teased.

"I don't think he'd want to know." I laughed as I followed him into the kitchen where he went to stir something on the stove.

"So how was school?" He asked making conversation.

"It was fine, I was excited to get out and get here." I told him.

"Good, so what's on the agenda for tonight?" He asked.

"I kind of want to try a normal couple thing. We should sit on the couch and watch movies tonight. We have all day tomorrow and tomorrow night for other things." I told him.

"You're right, we have plenty of sex. Movies sound like a good plan." He decided as he poured his concoction into a baking dish and putting it in the oven. "Hour ish to dinner."

"Sounds perfect. So what did you do with your car?" I asked.

"It's hidden. I'm going to have to find a car wash on Sunday." He told me wrinkling his nose.

"I'm glad you did it for me." I said kissing his cheek.

"Go pick some movies and we'll eat out here tonight." He decided and I smiled and did as he said. While he was finishing dinner I went upstairs and took a hot shower and put some comfortable sweats and a sweatshirt that once belonged to my dad on before going back downstairs. It was cooler at the lake house than it was in Mystic Falls. When I came back downstairs Damon had our dinner on plates in the living room. He had the first movie I chose geared up to start on the TV. We ate and watched the first movie before there were knocks on the door.

"Elena open up!" Caroline called from outside. Damon rolled his eyes and took our plates into the kitchen and stood out of the way until I got rid of Caroline. I unlocked the door and saw her standing there with her pillow and some nail polish.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"No one ever wants to actually be alone, so I thought I'd come out here and join you this weekend." She said excitedly.

"I actually really wanted to be alone. I'm watching movies and drinking wine. I might go have a bath later. I really don't need company." I told her.

"What are you watching?" She asked and I sighed.

"I'm watching The Proposal. I should really get back to it. Please Care?" I asked and she sighed.

"Why do you want to be alone? Or maybe you're not alone." She said her eyes wide.

"Who could possibly be here?" I demanded.

"Stefan. You two are getting back together? If you are that's so great." She cheered and I rolled my eyes.

"I am completely alone here Care." I tried to convince her. She was really cutting into my one on one time with Damon.

"Then why are there two wine glasses on the table?" She asked her blue eyes looking hurt now. She was right too, this was the first time I'd ever kept a secret of this magnitude.

"Can you just trust me and leave me be this weekend? I'll explain everything when the time is right." I promised.

"Just be honest, are you here alone?" She asked her blue eyes still looking at me hurt.

"I'm not alone." I answered carefully. This was my worst nightmare, if Caroline knew I wasn't sure I could rein her in.

"Elena, I understand that you're trying to keep whatever it is a secret, I just don't know why." She cried. I looked over my shoulder into the kitchen where Damon was pacing and he shrugged his shoulders. There was no way he could escape the house without her noticing him, and I didn't want him to.

"I'm keeping this a secret because of Stefan. It's over between us and him and I both know it. I just haven't officially broken it off yet because I don't want to ruin his progress. I didn't want anyone to know until it was safe for us to go public with our relationship." I said with a sigh. I knew now that she wasn't going to leave without knowing who was in the house with me. She was trying to be a good friend, but she was just proving to make my life more difficult right now.

"I can understand that, but why can't I know? I'm your best friend." She pleaded.

"Because you're just not the best at keeping secrets, Care. I can't have you telling anyone at all. No one knows." I told her.

"I could keep this secret for you if you really wanted me to. Can I please just come in and you can explain. I'll leave so you and whoever is here with you can get back to your weekend. Although, I don't know how you plan on telling Damon that you met someone new. He's going to be upset, not that I care." She said as I finally stepped aside to let her past,

"Okay, fine. But you can't stay." I said finally and she walked straight ahead into the family room and I went into the kitchen and threw my arms around Damon's midsection.

"There was absolutely nothing else you could do. She wasn't going to leave until you let her in. She's worried." He told me and I hugged him tighter.

"But what if she tells Stefan about you? She's going to be shocked. She thinks I found someone else who's not you. She was so happy that I didn't fall for you." I worried.

"I'm not Blondie's biggest fan but we have to trust her right now. You know I'm not completely adverse to everyone knowing about us. I'd like it, actually, but I said we'd do this at your pace. So let's get this over with." He said kissing the top of my head. I nodded against his chest and kissed his lips briefly before taking his hand and walking into the living room where Caroline's jaw completely dropped.

"Him? I thought he was in Richmond?" She squeaked.

"We lied so we could spend a weekend together." I told her sitting down beside her with Damon on my other side.

"But why? How did this happen?" She asked and I smiled and looked at him.

"Denver. I finally gave into my feelings for him. After that we started hooking up lots but pretending we're just friends for everyone else's sakes. But it's more than just hooking up. I have feelings for him and he cares about me. We're in a relationship." I told her and even Damon looked floored for a moment, but he knew better than to question me. He wanted what I was offering him.

"So you're saying that Damon Salvatore is your boyfriend? That's really what you're trying to tell me, despite everything he's done to me?" She demanded, her voice cool now.

"I'm saying exactly that. I know you don't like him, but it's my prerogative to have feelings for him. He's kept me alive and protected me for so long, eventually I just…" I started unable to believe what was about to come out of my mouth.

"You just what?" She asked. I smiled at Damon and took his hand, lacing our fingers together and laying my head on his shoulder.

"I just started falling for him. Caroline as my friend, you promised not to tell anyone. You promised, just remember that. We're going to go public as soon as we deem Stefan stable enough." I told her.

"I know I promised and I won't break that promise. I just don't understand why you chose him." She said shaking her head.

"Ah gee thanks Blondie." Damon interjected.

"I chose him because he's always been there and he got under my skin and no matter what I tried, I just couldn't shake him." I told her. That was the most honest answer I could give her and it seemed to work because her face softened and she smiled slightly.

"Okay, I won't pretend to understand or to agree with it. But even I can see that you really like him. I'll keep your secret." She said standing up. I stood up as well and reached over to hug her. She hugged me back fiercely and whispered in my ear to be careful. I nodded and hugged her once more before she walked to the door and I sat down next to Damon again. He handed me my glass of wine and I took a sip.

"That wasn't as bad as it could have been." Damon noted.

"It wasn't too bad. I still wish she hadn't come in and disrupted our little bubble but now that she has we can get back to it." I told him.

"So you're falling for me, huh?" He asked as he slid a little closer to me on the couch. I smiled up at him and nodded.

"I'm not saying I'm there right now, but I am falling. I may not have completely fallen right now but I'm definitely in the process." I told him just before he kissed me.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up to sun streaming through the windows, when I opened my eyes I noticed that we were still in the living room. My head was in Damon's lap and his hand was on my shoulder softly. I looked up and his head was against the back of the house and his eyes were closed. He didn't look comfortable, but he would risk his comfort for me to be happy. That's just who he is.

"Hey." I whispered trying to wake him up.

"Hey. How did you sleep?" He asked as I sat up and stretched.

"Better than you, I'm sure." I told him and he laughed.

"I have no complaints about the way I slept. I had no worries that you were safe, you were right there." He told me and I had to smile at that. He could be so romantic when he wanted to be. Even when he wasn't intending on it being romantic, he could still make me swoon.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" I asked standing up and rubbing my eyes.

"I think that's up to you. It's your weekend away after all, I'm just here for the sexy parts." He said and I grinned.

"Sexy parts sounds intriguing, but I suppose we should do something else first. We could go for a hike, or take the canoe out on the lake." I suggested.

"I haven't been on a canoe in ages. I suppose I could be seen on one." He allowed and I laughed. I couldn't picture bad ass leather jacket clad Damon Salvatore rowing a canoe. It was simply something that I couldn't picture.

"But maybe I should shower so I don't look like I spent the night sleeping in some guys lap." I teased and he laughed again.

"You look quite lovely for spending the night in my lap. But go on ahead, shower I'll make breakfast." He decided standing up and shooing me towards the stairs.

"Ooh breakfast. I'll be right back." I told him as I rushed upstairs.

I tried to speed up my shower as much as possible, but there was only so much you could do when gloriously hot water was spraying down on you. My showers always took far longer than necessary because of my love of hot water. By the time I turned the water off I could smell bacon sizzling from downstairs. My mouth started watering and I dressed quicker, not even bothering to do my hair. I left it wrapped up on my head in a towel. Brushing and styling could wait until I had some food in my stomach.

"So eager you couldn't even be bothered to do your hair?" He asked with a grin.

"I smelled bacon. Hair can wait." I shrugged.

"And waffles. With strawberries and whipped cream." He said producing a plate of Belgian waffles.

"Ooh I take it back, you're officially the best person in the world. Before you were only my favourite, now you're the best person in the entire world." I said as he put the waffle in front of me.

"If I had known the way to your heart was through your stomach, I would have fed you much quicker." He noted as he sat down across from me with a mug of blood and his own waffle and bacon. We ate while making conversation and I laughed more times through that meal than I could remember doing in a long time. Damon told me stories that I was sure he never talked about with anyone else and it made me feel wanted. When we were done eating I helped him wash up the dishes and we both walked upstairs.

"Tonight we're sleeping in a bed, right?" He asked as we made our way up the stairs to the bedroom.

"Absolutely. I have to go do my hair." I said.

"I'm going to take a quick shower." He said with a nod. I went into the bathroom and started brushing my hair while Damon turned the shower on. We were settling into a domestic routine and we'd only been together such a short time. He wasn't shy about his body and I loved watching him take his clothes off. He did it slowly before opening the shower curtain and stepping in. I smiled to my reflection, unable to believe how happy I was in my life. Everything was working out, and once Stefan wasn't a danger anymore we could tell him the truth. Then Damon and I could be Damon and Elena to everyone else. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops and scream it in the streets. I wanted everyone to know that I was falling madly in love with Damon Salvatore. But I would wait until it was safe for us to do it. I cared about Stefan still and I didn't want him to completely fall off the wagon and go completely insane. The water had shut off just as I finished my hair. It hung straight down my back, but I knew it would dry with a slight wave to it since I didn't straighten it. I was on a mini holiday, there was no reason to worry about presentation. All that matters was that Damon liked what he saw. I hopped up on the counter as Damon stepped out of the shower and I smirked at him.

"I definitely like what I can see." I said and he grinned.

"Oh, do tell more." He instructed and I giggled.

"You're quite the male specimen. Every part of you is beautiful. But you should get clothed, or we're never getting out of here." I told him.

"Yes ma'am." He said wrapping a towel around his waist. I laughed and followed him out of the bathroom and sat on the bed as he put a variation of the exact same outfit on. When he was dressed his phone started ringing and he glanced at it.

"Alaric." He said showing me the phone just before he answered it.

He spoke to Alaric for a few minutes, assuring him that he was sure everything was fine with me being here alone. He promised that on his way back he would check in with me and said that his mission to Richmond was ultimately a failure. When Alaric finally let him off the phone, Damon led me outside and found the canoe near the edge of the lake from the last time I was here with my family. My dad used to take us out on this lake all the time and I missed that. This lake house used to be such a big part of my childhood and later my early adolescence.

"Get in." He said when he had it on the water. I jumped in and sat near the back as he took a running start and got in the canoe. He paddled us out to the middle of the lake before relaxing his oars and setting them up.

"I love it out here. There was never a time that at least one of us ended up in the lake. My dad wasn't overly talented at canoeing, either that or he wanted to drop us in the lake every single time." I recalled and he smiled softly.

"I'd drop you in the lake but it's a little bit cool for that." He said and I smiled at him.

"Yeah, but it's enough to just be out here. It makes me feel closer to them, you know?" I asked hoping he had a place like this. I wanted to be assured that it wasn't unusual or weird to feel like that. I felt that they were close to me and I needed that. A girl never really ever stopped needing her mom and dad. No matter how much time passes by.

"Yeah, when I was a child after my mother passed away. Sitting in the kitchen with the servants brought back good memories. She used to spend all day in there helping with the cooking. She insisted on doing it, the servants only ever had to get stuff for her. She cooked in there right up to the day she gave birth to Stefan." He told me and I loved the story.

"I don't know much about your mom." I said and he shook his head.

"There's not much to know. She died when Stefan and I were young. I don't remember too much about her." He told me and I nodded. I didn't know what I'd do if I had never gotten to know my parents. I didn't know what to say to him so I leaned across the boat to kiss him. He kissed me back, bewildered at first. This was the most public we'd ever been together, so kissing was a risk. Not that anyone would find us here. The only person who knew about us was Caroline, and that was a risk that we'd had to take. His hands tangled in my hair and pulled me closer so I carefully came across the canoe kneeling on the bottom so we were close enough to touch.

"I love you." I whispered when he released my lips long enough for me to breath. It was more passionate this time when he kissed me. I didn't know what I was doing, but my hands were working at his belt. He lifted his hips for me to pull his jeans down.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I need you, I don't want to wait until we get back to the house. We're alone." I whispered against his lips as I worked my jeans down along with my panties. I was very careful not to rock the boat as I moved to undress. When my pants and panties were in a small pile alongside my shoes I carefully straddled him. I reached down to wrap my hand around his erection and hold it up so I could sink down on him. How he got hard so quick amazed me. Whenever I needed him he was hard and ready to go. I took him inside me and started moving immediately. His hands were on my hips guiding my movements. I leaned forward a bit so his base grazed my clit on every stroke.

"You feel so good." I sighed as he aided my movements.

"Fuck, so do you." He groaned. He looked like he was in agony. He must have been close to the edge. I leaned in and kissed him as I continued riding him. I picked up my pace and started riding him harder.

"I'm going to come." I said as my movements floundered a little bit. The pleasure was too much and I couldn't move. He gripped my hips tighter and held me up a bit so he could trust into me. His thrusts were hard but they felt good. After my first orgasm I came once more before he let himself spill inside me. I rested against his chest until I could feel like limbs again.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that." He teased and I laughed.

"Neither was I, but I wanted to be spontaneous." I laughed.

"You definitely achieved that. Now I'm curious what the rest of the weekend is going to bring." He teased.

"Definitely more spontaneity." I said firmly.

"Excellent." He whispered before kissing me once more, before pulling away so I could redress and he could row us back to shore.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so sorry you guys, I thought I already uploaded this but then I found it in my doc manager still waiting to be posted. So sorry for the wait and I hope there are still some of you out there still waiting for this. Thanks so much for reading!**

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We kissed goodbye outside of the lake house before Damon started through the woods to wherever he stashed his car and I went to my car. It wasn't the last time we'd see each other, but we'd have to go back to being sneaky again. I'd miss being so open with him, but it wouldn't be for much longer. When I got home, Damon was already there sitting with Ric in the living room talking about the fake cure that Damon said he thought he found to get away for the weekend.

"Elena, how was your weekend?" Alaric asked when I walked in.

"It was exactly what I needed." I told him before sitting down in the spare seat next to Damon. They wouldn't think anything of us sitting together on the couch. We were friends, or so they thought.

"You had a good weekend alone?" Damon asked raising his eyebrows.

"I did. It was spectacular." I told him seriously.

"Good, I'm glad you had a relaxing weekend. I'm not happy you were alone, but I'll forgive you because you're here and you're fine." He decided.

"Good. There wasn't anything you could have done to stop me anyway." I said for Alaric and Jeremy's benefit.

"I'm starting to see that. But I'm going to head to the Grill if you want to join me." He said standing up.

"I could use a trip to the Grill and it's not exactly safe for me to go alone." I agreed standing up too.

"Didn't you just get home?" Alaric asked shaking his head.

"I'm having Damon withdrawals. I haven't seen him in three days and you've basically had us together all the time to protect me." I teased as I followed him out of the house. Alaric shook his head but didn't respond, as we walked outside I saw Damon smirk.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"Your brother just told Alaric that we were definitely hooking up. He told him about Denver." Damon told me and I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"So now basically Caroline knows, Jeremy and Alaric suspect. What's next?" I asked.

"Hopefully not Stefan." Damon noted as we drove away. I put my hand on his thigh and smiled at him as we drove. We were in public so we had to be careful what we did. No one could see inside the car as he was driving so this was safe. Although I was beginning not to care if we got caught. Getting caught was no longer the scariest thing in the world to me. When he parked I took my hand off of his thigh and we walked inside. He held the door for me and we went to the bar to sit down.

"Bourbon." Damon ordered and glanced at me.

"Iced tea." I decided and the bartender left. I heard the doors open and I saw Caroline and Stefan walk in. They both stopped when they saw me and I offered them both a smile as they walked to a table and sat down. I turned back to Damon and took a deep breath because now we had to be very careful. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out.

 _"_ _Stefan suspects that something is going on between you and Damon._ _He doesn't believe the ripper cure story."_ She texted me and I sighed and looked over. I showed the message to Damon and he took a deep breath and basically just told me to leave it. It would all work out.

 _"_ _You didn't tell him did you?"_ I asked and saw the little dots show up immediately signalling that she was responding.

 _"_ _No, I promised you!_ _I've been just not bringing you and him up in conversation._ _It was this morning when he told me that he thinks something is going on between you two._ _Maybe you should talk to him._ _He's stable enough now. I don't want to lie to him anymore, he deserves more than this."_ She typed and I knew she was right. Stefan hadn't had a problem in quite a while and he was already suspicious.

"You're going to talk to Stefan, aren't you?" Damon asked and I nodded.

"Alright, I'll leave you in his more than capable hands. Just be careful." He said keeping space between us. Stefan may suspect, but that didn't mean that we needed to flaunt it in his face.

"I'll see you later." I said and he nodded and walked out of the Grill. I knew Caroline would give me a ride when the conversation was over. It just wasn't right for Damon to be present when I was about to break up with his brother. I drained my glass and stood up heading over to sit with Stefan and Caroline.

"Hey." Caroline greeted me smiling at me.

"Hey, so I thought it was time we talked." I said to Stefan sitting down across from him.

"I suppose you're right. So what do you want to talk about?" He asked.

"I was waiting until you were stable enough and I feel that you are now. But by now you should know that we're just not working. I was so in love with you before you left with Klaus. I never would have thought that could ever change but I think it has." I told him.

"I only left to help Damon. I left for my brother." He said and I nodded. This was harder than I thought it was going to be and I let a couple tears escape.

"I know and you saved your brother's life. I love you for that. That was the Stefan that I was in love with. But the Stefan you have been for the past few months, I can't love that one. I still love you Stefan, I'm just not in love with you anymore." I said letting a few more tears escape.

"Is it Damon?" He asked. He didn't sound angry, he just sounded resigned. Like he suspected it like Caroline told me.

"He just completely snuck up on me in the ways that he's always been there. He helped me find you and he kept me alive. He's loved me for a long time and he eventually just wore me down. I didn't want it to happen but when I fell for him there was no going back. I'm so sorry Stefan." I apologized.

"When did you fall for my brother?" He asked me. He still didn't sound angry, he was sounding sad now, more than resigned.

"I don't know when it started, but things came to a head when we went to Denver. I wasn't in love with him yet but we started hooking up. I know you don't want to hear this but I gradually fell in love with him." I confessed.

"I guess I can kind of understand it. It doesn't change the fact that it hurts though. But I think deep down even I knew it was over." He told me and I tried to smile at him.

"I'm sorry Stefan." I whispered.

"You don't have to apologize. As much as I wish I could be angry, I can't. It's my fault I lost you. I should have been stronger." He said and I hated that I hurt him.

"It doesn't change the fact that I'm sorry." I said to him and he nodded and stood up.

"I just need some time. I'm going to head home." He told Caroline and me just before he left.

"Can you just take me home? That was harder than I expected." I told her and she nodded.

"I hope you don't find out that you made a mistake because I don't think Stefan will be able to go back." She told me.

"I didn't. No matter what even through that Damon was never in question. I still love him and I'm still in love with him." I told her and she nodded. She stood up and drove me home, when I got there I wiped my face and put a smile on.

When I got inside Jeremy and Alaric were sitting there watching an action movie.

"Oh good it's you. Care to tell me what's going on with you and Damon?" Alaric asked and I had to laugh.

"I can tell you now because I just ended things with Stefan who took it far better than I had any right to hope for. Damon and I are together. I'm in love with him." I told them.

"And where was Damon when you went to the lake house. Jeremy doesn't believe there was a ripper cure. That excuse was a little too odd he said." Alaric asked and I smiled in spite of myself.

"Let's just say it was the best weekend I've ever had. But I just broke up with Stefan, so I'm going upstairs." I told them.

"I heard pacing up there so I'm pretty sure Damon is up there now." Alaric told me and I smiled again. When they let me go I ran up the stairs to my room and found Damon standing there.

"So Stefan talked to me when he got home. I ran here when he was done to see how you were doing?" He asked and I smiled.

"I'm fine. I feel bad for Stefan because I will always love him and I told him that. But I'm in love with you and now that everyone knows that's not going to change." I told him.

"Good, because I wasn't planning on letting you change it." He whispered with his hands on my hips to pull me closer to him. When our bodies were flush against each other he smirked.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Well now that you're officially my girlfriend, we need to set down some ground rules." He whispered against the flesh of my skin.

"Like?" I asked.

"Well number one, now that I'm allowed to you're going to be hearing three little words a lot more than you used to. I have a lot to get off my chest." He warned me.

"What three little words are you referring to? There are quite a few options." I told him and he laughed.

"Try I love you." He said and I grinned.

"I love you too Damon. Now how about we head downstairs to spend time with Ric and Jeremy?" I asked.

"Can we kiss?" He asked and I laughed.

"Alaric is going to ban you from the house, I swear but yes we can kiss." I told him. He fist-pumped before taking my hand and leading me down the stairs. It was going to be like this from now on and I was more than looking forward to it.


End file.
